EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — It “Student Skip Day” for East Hartford High School students on Monday - all in an effort to get them vaccinated.
Chances are this one’s a little bit different then you might remember skip day in high school. For starters, it was organized by the school system.
“This is not Ferris Bueller‘s Day off you guys, this is a time where you take a little break and all get vaccinated,” said Gov. Ned Lamont, speaking to students.
East Hartford High School and CREC school students who were 16 and older got the chance to skip class for awhile today to receive their COVID vaccine. Nearly 1,000 of them taking advantage of “student skip day” at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.
“At first I was really excited, a lot of my friends got the vaccine and I wanted to make sure I’m safe this summer, but then when we got here I was nervous because I’m scared of needles. But it’s fine,” said Ivree Diaz, a Senior at East Hartford High School.
While it wasn’t a full day off, students got to take a break from class and have a little fun while getting vaccinated.
“We went to our regular classes and then they dismissed us by group, so we came here in different groups and certain time frames that we had,” said Makayla Greenwood, a Senior at East Hartford High School.
The state hoping it’s only the start of more fun for students. They hope the more students who get vaccinated, the more they’ll be able to enjoy those end-of-the-year school activities, like prom and graduation.
“If you all get vaccinated, tell your friends to get vaccinated, tell them there’s nothing to be scared of. Come get vaccinated it works. If you do that we’re going to have a great summer, we’re gonna be outside, you’re going to be with your friends and we’re gonna break the back of COVID,” said Lamont.
According to the governor’s office, as of last week, 33% of people ages 16 to 24 had received their first dose of the vaccine.
Nearly 50% of the state's population has received their first dose of the vaccine.
Connecticut reported on Friday, it administered 39,469 tests and 1,034 came back positive. The positivity rate was about 2.62%.
Hospitalizations saw a big decrease after steadily increasing over the last several days by 37 patients. There are now 478 patients being treated for the virus.
There were eight more COVID-19 related deaths reported Friday. The state death toll has now reached 8,047 people.
The students of East Hartford and CREC schools adding to that tally, they all received the Pfizer vaccine. As it’s currently the only vaccine that’s been approved for those who are 16 and 17 years old.
A reminder for anyone under the age of 18 looking to get vaccinated, you will need a parent or legal guardian's consent.
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